Thought this might be of interest to some of those with roots in Clay County, Missouri. Janet Hankins Historic cemetery faces foggy future By MIKE RICE The Kansas City Star Amid the new and spacious homes that straddle the Gladstone/Kansas City boundary along Pleasant Valley Road, the Big Shoal Cemetery is a remnant of the area's 19th century history. The cemetery, which is in Gladstone, has at least 115 graves with burial dates from the 1830s to the early 1900s. The cemetery also sits on the site of what is thought to have been the first organized Baptist church in Clay County. But not much else is known about the cemetery. Its deed was never recorded, so no one knows who owns it. The people who are buried there are probably some of the county's earliest pioneers, but there is no known recorded history about them. And the church, which was a bustling center of social activity in the 1800s, no longer exists. The property was largely neglected over the years and the graves often were vandalized. But two retired Northland residents — Jim Davidson and Walt Kelly — have been voluntarily mowing the property and doing other maintenance work, such as cutting tree limbs, covering holes left by gophers, and marking jagged remains of an old wrought-iron fence on the cemetery's perimeter with orange paint. Neither have relatives buried there. But they did not want the cemetery at Pleasant Valley Road near North Jackson Street to become a weed-infested eyesore. “The grass used to be this high,” said Kelly, placing the palm of his hand by his knee. Davidson, 83, a retired employee at the General Mills plant in the East Bottoms, said he has been taking care of the cemetery grounds for 12 years. “We want to make this place respectable for the people who are buried here,” said Davidson, who has a riding lawnmower. “It's a nice piece of property.” But Kelly, 71, a retired Southwestern Bell employee who has helped Davidson for nine years, acknowledged that, at their age, they won't be able to take care of the cemetery much longer. Davidson has asked Gladstone officials whether the city can assume the maintenance responsibilities. City officials have shown some interest and discussed the matter at last week's City Council meeting. City Attorney David Ramsay said the city is working with William Jewell College to learn more about the cemetery. He said the city has the statutory authority to obtain ownership of the property, which would make it responsible for the upkeep. To help defray the costs of maintaining the cemetery, city leaders might ask local Baptist churches for financial assistance. “We are very interested in preserving this cemetery,” said Councilman Bill Cross. “But we have a tight budget and I don't know if the citizens of Gladstone would want several thousands of tax dollars put into this endeavor. That's why I suggested contacting some of the Baptist churches.” The city is exploring several other options, such as seeking maintenance assistance from a nearby cemetery, publicly seeking out people with information about the cemetery or descendants of those buried there, and creating an ongoing cemetery maintenance or preservation entity that would possibly include William Jewell College or the Clay County Historical Society. Davidson said he would like to see the city acquire the cemetery property and the adjacent property along Pleasant Valley Road and turn it into a small park. Such a park, he said, would get plenty of use from residents of the nearby Carriage Hill and Carriage Hill Estates neighborhoods, which sustained major damage in the May 4 tornado. “It would be a nice place for people to relax,” Davidson said. The Big Shoal Baptist Church was founded in 1823, according to local historians. And past articles in The Kansas City Star reported that the cemetery was deeded to the church in 1834. But that deed was never recorded. The names on the graves include Barnes, Nall, Hughes and Suddarth. “I am guessing that they were members of the (Big Shoal Baptist) church,” said Angela Stiffler, archival director of William Jewell College's Partee Center for Baptist Historical Study. “A lot of these older churches had their own cemeteries.” According to historical accounts, the church became known for its annual bonnet parade each May. “This was the great event of the year for the community,” according to an entry in the Clay County Centennial Souvenir Book that was published in the 1920s. “Some of the bonnets worn by the belles of that other day are treasured relics in Clay County homes today. Many were works of art, coming from Paris via St. Louis and the Missouri River. The parade stopped in 1917 after 80 continuous years. That same year, the church held its last service there. For years, the abandoned church fell to vandals, who set fire to it and removed pews and an organ. There no longer are any signs of the church, but Davidson thinks an open area south of the graves was the structure site. According to The Star, a Liberty civic club in 1967 said it would take over the maintenance of the cemetery. But that plan never materialized. In 1972, Gladstone officials said they would maintain the cemetery after vandals toppled several tombstones, stole part of the fence, and attempted to dig up a grave. Why that pledge was not kept is unclear. City officials said a takeover of the property should include a plan to put the surrounding property to a public use, a parking plan and public access point. No cost estimate has been determined. Davidson, who spends a couple of hours mowing the property, said he wonders why Gladstone considers it to be such an expense to simply mow one acre. “We can afford it,” he said. “Why can't the city?” To reach Mike Rice, call (816) 234-5903 or send e-mail to <A HREF="mailto:mrice@kcstar.com">mrice@kcstar.com</A>.